A Study on the Directional Approach for Entrepreneurship Utilizing Designer-Maker Products: Strategies for Creative Value Creation Beyond Service Design

This study explores the potential and strategies of the 'designer-maker' model as a new career path for product designers. In the current design industry, where the service-oriented structure shows limitations in designers' creativity and economic independence, this research proposes an alternative model in which designers lead the entire process from product planning to sales and export. The research methods utilized include literature review, analysis of successful cases (Dyson, GARIZ, Lexon), and field observations. In particular, the study focused on the early startup stages of each case to derive practical insights. The research results confirmed that the designer-maker model provides advantages such as self-realization, expanded autonomy, and increased social influence, in addition to economic benefits. For successful transition, factors such as mindset change, choosing an appropriate time for entrepreneurship, and differentiated value propositions were identified as important elements. This study is significant in that it presents a new career option for product designers and explores the possibility of a paradigm shift in the design industry.